Ohio changes prevailing wage, building laws

When they passed the current two-year a budget, Ohio lawmakers made changes to construction laws with the hope of saving taxpayers money.

Among changes are lowering what workers must be paid on certain projects and streamlining how contracts are awarded.

Legislators reduced the number of instances in which contractors have to pay workers a prevailing wage, tied to the local union scale and generally higher than what might otherwise be paid. The change means fewer projects will require contractors to pay workers the higher wage.

The General Assembly also says contracting of public projects has been streamlined. No longer must each component - such as plumbing and electrical wiring - be bid on individually.